Sunday, September 18, 2011

Mitzvahs

With the Jewish High Holidays around
the corner, I thought I'd throw some ponderings to the universe. I'm definitely
not a Rabbi, but I play one in my mind while vacuuming or folding the laundry.
My late father noted my tendency to be ‘teachy-preachy,’ and so I haven’t
changed.

Warning: A sermon, or what
we call a DRASHA, follows.

G-d bless
anyone who steps in where needed.

There’s a Jewish belief that the world depends
on the constant existence of the thirty-six righteous ones- simple unknowns,
who do the right thing where others don’t. There may be more than thirty-six,
but the number must never be below for then the world as we know it would cease
to exist.

Taking this
symbolic notion not so literally (the Hassidim actually do) I would say that
the fabric of humanity depends on at least a small number of righteous acts.

I have never
been one of those uber-righteous. I am more focused on just doing what I
consider my narrow responsibilities. I have a friend who has so exceeded hers,
I think of her as possibly one of those LAMED-VAVNIKS, =The Thirty-Sixers.

May this day
give us the opportunity to do a Mitzvah. And laundry, now folded, doesn’t
count.

3 comments:

Happy Rosh Hashanah to you, dearest Mirka! Thank you for sharing this bit of Jewish heritage with us. One of the things I love about having you for a friend is that you help me broaden my understanding of the Jewish faith.

I think of my sister-in-love as also one of these righteous people you mention. She amazes me how she can keep on being so giving to other people, especially her students, when she has such major health issues she has to deal with on an on-going basis. I am blessed to know her.

I love the idea of people who do good not to look good, but because it is the right thing to do. Even a seemingly tiny act of charity can have a huge impact on the world. I also have a friend whose righteous acts are way above the average. Even when she has no hope of getting anything in return, she gives unselfishly. It's a privilege to know people like that -- and I want to believe that there are so many more than 36.

About Me

Born and raised in Jerusalem, Israel, Mirka now writes from her California home. She is the wife of one, the author of two published books, mother of two awesome children, and the human of three free-loading lovable cats.